IJGA Alumni Succeed on the Big Stage of College Golf

International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) student-athletes become good enough to earn spots and play golf at the college level, while using their skills to get an excellent education. They get into colleges they may not have been admitted to without their golf talents. They play hard and study hard. Here are just some of this season’s IJGA alumni success stories.

Mind Puangcharoen – IJGA Class of 2015– Wingate University sophomore Mind Puangcharoen earned the South Atlantic Conference 2018 Championships individual medalist MVP honors and helped her team earn its fourth SAC women’s golf championship title and its first since 2014. The Bulldog’s 26-stroke margin of victory was the largest in a decade.

Saptak Talwar – IJGA Class of 2017– Sacred Heart University freshman Saptak Talwar used a five-under 67 to vault atop the leaderboard before winning the 2018 Northeast Individual Championship. The rookie recorded the round of five-under 67 with seven birdies in the final round. As individual conference champion, Talwar qualified for the 2018 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships televised on Golf Channel.

Samuel Cudjoe – IJGA Class of 2017– Saint Augustine University freshman Cudjoe qualified for the NCAA II Atlantic/East Regional as Top Individual Seed. The Falcons’ freshman won both CIAA Golfer of the Year and CIAA Rookie Golfer of the Year for posting the top individual average (73.25) in the conference. He earned All-CIAA honors in addition to winning the league’s Southern Division title and tying for third in the Northern Division Tournament.He won four of seven tournaments including the Black College Hall of Fame Tournament in September 2017, the Falcon Fall Shootout in October 2017 and the Falcon Spring Invitational in April 2018.

Jasmine Chee – IJGA Class of 2016– Western Michigan sophomore Jasmine Chee was a second finisher for the Broncos’ team at MAC Championships.

Lino Galdin – IJGA Class of 2017 – Mercer University freshman Lino Galdin earned Southern Conference men’s golf postseason honors named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team following an impressive individual performance at the 2018 conference championships. The IJGA alumni finished his rookie campaign with a strokes-per-round average of 74.70 over 20 rounds played.

Yuna Sato – IJGA Class of 2017 – Central Oklahoma freshman Sato tied for sixth in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Women’s Golf Championships. She was second of three Broncos placing in the top 10 at the tournament.

Sera Tadokoro – IJGA Class of 2017– The top Kansas finisher at the Palmetto Intercollegiate after recording a 1-under (71) in the final round, Tadokoro shot even-par in her first collegiate round at the Minnesota Invitational. She recorded a top-20 finish at the Marilynn Smith Invitational, finished in the top-10 at the Chip-N-Club Invitational, tied for 25th at the Briar’s Creek Invitational, and fired a 223 (+7) at the MountainView Collegiate to finish tied for 19th.